The Best Matcha Cafes in Manila, Whisked to Order

For matcha on its own

Matcha Later is a slow matcha bar on General Luna Street in Poblacion with room for about eight people. Owner Love Nakagawa sources the tea from Uji, every drink is whisked with a bamboo chasen at the counter, and the usucha comes in a chawan, a matcha bowl. If you want milk, the Kumo Berry and the Caramiso, a caramel miso latte, are the signatures, and none of it is made too sweet. Unit 204, JKL Building, 5385 General Luna Street, Poblacion. Tuesday to Friday 12nn to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 2pm and 4pm to 10pm, closed Monday. Tip: there is often a queue at weekends, so come on a weekday afternoon.

ITO is a seven seat beverage space on Aguirre Street that does what almost no one else in the city does: Japanese tea tastings, matcha included, with most of the teas from Yame in Fukuoka. By day you can order an usucha served in a chawan or a matcha latte, whisked in front of you at the curved counter. It is the closest thing in Manila to a tea ceremony without booking one. 107 Aguirre Street, Legazpi Village. Wednesday to Friday 1pm to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday 12nn to 9pm. Good to know: walk-ins are welcome, and a few seats and the tea flights can be booked on ito.ooo.

Oolah is a cafe, gallery and shop on the lower ground floor of Cityland III in Legazpi Village. Owner Sam Cruz buys the matcha and hojicha himself on trips to Japan, so the tea changes with what he brings back, and you can pay to upgrade to a premium matcha. The list is split into fruity, sweet and nutty, it serves usucha, and it is one of the few places making playful matcha drinks without milk. Lower ground floor, Cityland III, 417 V.A. Rufino Street corner Ormaza. Daily, 7am to 10pm. Tip: mid-afternoon is the crowded stretch.

Bar.Flora is a gin and tea bar on Scout Rallos in Quezon City with Uji matcha on its tea list. On weekend afternoons it runs as a tea house, with matcha tea ceremonies and tasting sessions. F7 Rallos, Scout Rallos Street, Diliman. Opens 2pm on Saturday and Sunday, 6pm Tuesday to Friday, closed Monday. Good to know: check its Instagram for the next ceremony date.

For a matcha latte in Rockwell

Wasachi is a Tokyo matcha cafe from Roppongi, and its first branch outside Japan opened in October 2025 inside Fully Booked at Power Plant Mall. The menu is short on purpose: pure matcha, a matcha latte and a mango matcha latte made only for Manila, plus matcha cookies. Chef Daniel Calvert of Sézanne, three MICHELIN stars in Tokyo, has called its matcha latte the best in Tokyo. Level R3, Fully Booked, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell. Monday to Thursday 11am to 9pm, Friday to 10pm, Saturday 10am to 10pm, Sunday 10am to 9pm. Tip: take a bar seat to watch it being whisked.

For a late matcha in BGC

Chotto Matcha was started in Little Tokyo in Makati by two Japanese sisters and now has four Manila cafes and a flagship in Asakusa, Tokyo. The matcha comes from family-run farms in Shizuoka. The Forbestown branch is on the BGC restaurant strip and stays open to midnight on weeknights and 1am from Friday to Sunday, which makes it the easy matcha stop after dinner. Bellagio 2, Forbestown Road, BGC. Monday to Thursday 10am to midnight, Friday to Sunday 10am to 1am. Good to know: there is a second BGC branch at Park Triangle. If you need a table to work at rather than a late drink, see our quiet cafes to work from in BGC.

In Quezon City

Shizu Matcha Bar calls itself a contemporary tea house and makes every drink with first flush matcha, the first harvest of the season, whisked to order. The matcha and hojicha list is long: a plain latte, a malted milk matcha latte, a matcha tonic with yuzu and a cold whisk dango. There is a full food menu too. 3 Scout Rallos Street, Diliman. Daily, 11am to 8pm. Good to know: the first branch is on General Tinio in Caloocan.

Hometown Cafe is a specialty coffee roaster from Subic Bay with a cafe on Apo Street near Banawe, and it puts five grams of matcha in every cup, more than most cafes, so it tastes of tea. Beside the plain latte there are matcha banana cinnamon and matcha strawberry, and a full hojicha line. Drinks are made at an island bar in the middle of the room. 88 Apo Street, Barangay Lourdes. Daily, 7am to 9pm. Tip: it opens at 7am every day, and the coffee is good for anyone who does not drink tea.

For more to eat and drink nearby, see our guide to Maginhawa Street and the Quezon City neighbourhood page.

In San Juan and Pasig

Niseko Coffee is a Japanese-style coffee bar in Promenade at Greenhills that tea people rate for matcha. It used to pour Kurasu matcha from Kyoto and now uses its own; the matcha menu is four drinks, each whisked when you order. The Kyoto matcha float with a taiyaki is the treat. Promenade, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan. Monday to Thursday 10am to 8:30pm, Friday to Sunday 10am to 9:30pm. Good to know: there is a second branch at Alabang Town Center.

Loop in Kapitolyo never meant to be a matcha place, but people assumed it from the green room and it leaned in. The Sea Salt Matcha uses asin tibuok, an artisanal salt from Bohol, and there are plenty of sockets if you want to stay. 3 San Rafael Street, Kapitolyo, Pasig. Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm, Saturday and Sunday 7am to 7pm. For more in the area, see cafes and food in Kapitolyo.

If you want a matcha you can work over all afternoon, Loop is the best bet here; for the full list, see the best cafes to work from in Manila, or browse our eat and drink hub.

Before you go

• How to order. To judge the tea, order usucha or a plain matcha latte before the flavoured drinks. Ask for less sweetener; good matcha does not need much.
• Ceremonial grade. There is no official standard behind the term, so it helps more to ask where the tea is from. These cafes will tell you: Uji, Shizuoka or Yame.
• When to go. Weekday afternoons are calmest. Matcha Later often has a queue at weekends and seats only about eight; Oolah gets crowded in the middle of the afternoon.
• Booking. All of these are walk-in. ITO lets you book a few seats and its tea flights online.
• Getting there. Matcha Later is in the middle of Poblacion; Oolah and ITO are both in Legazpi Village; Wasachi is inside Power Plant Mall in Rockwell. In Quezon City, Shizu and Bar.Flora are both on Scout Rallos.
• Payment. Bring a card and some cash for the smaller bars. ITO is cashless.

Questions people ask

What is the best matcha cafe in Manila?

For matcha on its own, Matcha Later in Poblacion and ITO in Legazpi Village, where it is whisked in front of you and served as usucha. For a latte, Wasachi in Rockwell. In Quezon City, Shizu Matcha Bar on Scout Rallos.

Is there a matcha cafe in Poblacion, Makati?

Yes. Matcha Later is on the second floor of the JKL Building at 5385 General Luna Street. It uses ceremonial grade matcha from Uji, seats about eight and is closed on Mondays.

Where can I get good matcha in BGC?

Chotto Matcha at Forbestown is open until midnight on weeknights and 1am from Friday to Sunday, and there is a second branch at Park Triangle. We could not find a matcha-first cafe on Bonifacio High Street or in Uptown that we would put on this list.

What is the best matcha in QC?

Shizu Matcha Bar on Scout Rallos for first flush matcha whisked to order, and Hometown Cafe on Apo Street for a strong five gram cup. For a weekend tea ceremony, Bar.Flora on Scout Rallos.